The summer holidays have finally arrived but for pupils preparing to enter year six in September it could mean a busy time revising. Pupils hoping to gain a spot at a grammar school won’t have long to prepare for the test once they’re back in class – making the summer a perfect time to focus on revision.

But with the exams varying between schools and many areas to focus on, it can be challenging to break down your revision into chunks. Covering these core topics can help both you and your child better plan your summer revision sessions.

  1. Problem solving – Logical thinking and problem solving are core parts of what the 11+ exam aims to test. It’s an area that can be difficult to get to grips with but one that will improve with practice. It’s a critical element to both the verbal and non-verbal reasoning papers.
  2. Vocabulary – The extent of your child’s vocabulary will be assessed as part of the verbal reasoning test, and they’re expected to demonstrate they have a wide vocabulary. Tasks such as reading a diverse amount can help with this, but they’ll still need to learn to use these words in their own work.
  3. Arithmetic – Not every 11+ exam includes set maths papers, so it’s worth checking out what your local authority covers in the test. For those that do, arithmetic is likely to play a role. Children will need to demonstrate the quick math skills they have.
  4. Comprehension – For children that will be sitting dedicated English papers, comprehension is one of the core skills that will be tested, but even if it’s not a separate paper it can help with understanding the questions that are being asked. Being able to comprehend and respond to questions in an appropriate way is essential.
  5. Exam techniques – This is an area that’s often missed out, but it’s an important one. Getting to grips with good exam techniques while practising can mean the difference between just missing out on a grammar school place and bagging a spot. Going over time allocation, recognising what examiners want to see, and how to clearly set out answers can have a big impact.

If you’re looking for a way to make 11+ exam revision simple and useful, our practice papers and video tutorials are just what you need for the summer holidays.